UK Diplomatic Missions: Shared Facilities

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many United Kingdom diplomatic missions abroad now share facilities with missions of other states or international institutions.

Baroness Amos: At present there are 11 UK missions which share facilities with the missions of other states or international organisations.

UK Diplomatic Missions: Shared Facilities

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they plan to extend the sharing of facilities in United Kingdom diplomatic missions abroad; and which facilities and which partners they consider most suitable for further potential co-operation or integration.

Baroness Amos: Whenever the FCO needs to relocate our offices overseas or open new missions, we will investigate the possibilities of, and consider any practicable proposals for, sharing offices or staff amenities with suitable partners where there would be no compromise to our own efficiency or security. Such co-location may vary from the use of a single office by a partner on a part-time basis to the joint occupation of a complete building by several partners. Our current co-location projects are all with EU partners and the European Commission.

Burglaries

Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are proposing to reduce the number of burglaries in England and Wales.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have already made significant progress in reducing domestic burglary.
	The British Crime Survey gives the best available measure of the amount of crime actually affecting the public, regardless of changes in reporting or recording levels. According to the latest figures, published on 9 January, burglary is down 39 per cent compared to 1997 and has reduced slightly over the past 18 months (though the level of reduction is not statistically significant).
	We have a comprehensive strategy to drive burglary down further. In addition to several programmes of work that will affect a range of crimes—including Narrowing the Justice Gap, reducing re-offending and our anti-drugs strategy—we have a number of initiatives targeted more specifically at domestic burglary.
	Minimum sentences for third time burglary convictions were introduced in December 1999.
	All police authorities have agreed targets for reducing domestic burglary by 2005. Performance against these targets will be assessed under the performance monitoring arrangements set out in the National Policing Plan. These arrangements will inform the work of our Police Standards Unit, which is working with police forces to help them meet these targets, through, for example, developing and sharing best practice.
	Under the Reducing Burglary Initiative (part of our Crime Reduction Programme) which ran from 1999 to 2002, we funded 250 local anti-burglary projects. The overall impact of this initiative is still being evaluated, but some lessons about what worked most cost-effectively have already been learnt and are being disseminated to the crime and disorder reduction partnerships. These will inform plans for further local projects funded from other funding streams, including our Safer Communities Initiative, Communities Against Drugs, the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and New Deal for Communities (we estimate that around 20 per cent of the funding available under these last two schemes is used to tackle crime.
	Over 80 per cent of the latest strategies developed by the crime and disorder reduction partnerships include burglary; and many of the local public service agreements being negotiated between central government and local authorities include a target for burglary reduction that stretches performance beyond what would be expected anyway.
	We are pursuing a number of options for providing home security advice to the public, especially those at greatest risk of being victimised—for example, we will be launching later this month a website containing crime prevention advice tailored specifically for students.
	Those living in rented accomodation and houses in multiple occupancy are also at high risk and we are discussing with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister what more can be done to improve security standards in such properties.
	We are also considering with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) what can be done to ensure adequate standards of security in new homes and those formed by conversion of other buildings.

Metropolitan Police Recruits

Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the physical fitness requirements demanded of new recruits to the Metropolitan Police.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All police forces in England and Wales are issued with guidance, Home Office Circular 11/02 issued 17 May 2002 regarding fitness requirements for new recruits. Copies of the circular are available in the Library.

Shoplifting

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to combat shoplifting.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary and I recognise the detrimental impact that theft from shops has on the retail industry and the wider community.
	The Home Office continues to support the development of retail crime partnerships, helping them build on the good work they have already done in combating shop theft. These partnerships share information on known offenders, are normally linked by communication systems and typically run schemes to exclude known shop thieves from their stores. The Home Office employed a consultant for a period of two years to work with the British Retail Consortium, helping it set up retail crime partnerships and providing a comprehensive guide about how to set up and run such a partnership. We are encouraging retail crime partnerships to work with local crime and disorder reduction partnerships and to involve other businesses in the locality so as to maximise their impact.
	We are also aware that theft from shops can have a particularly detrimental impact on the communities and small retail businesses in our most deprived areas. That is why the Government have allocated £15 million over the financial years 2001–02 to 2003–04 to improve the security of small retail businesses in deprived areas. The funding can be used for a wide variety of security measures such as CCTV, locks and alarms for individual businesses; or to pay for measures which will improve the security of a group of shops, such as a radio link scheme; or to improve the immediate environment of a shopping area in order to reduce the opportunities for crime. Nearly 3,000 shops benefited from the first year's funding and a further 4,500 individual shops and businesses will benefit directly from the £6 million made available in this the second year of the scheme. A further £6 million will be available next year to enable more shopkeepers to benefit from extra security.
	The Home Office has also produced a user friendly guide to help retailers combat theft and other crime problems they encounter. This guide was prepared in conjunction with the main retail trade organisations and has been widely circulated to retailers. The guide is available on the crime reduction website at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/business22.htm and through police community safety officers.
	Many of the Government's crime reduction initiatives, such as the CCTV initiative, focus on town centres and community shopping areas.The nearly 700 schemes approved under the CCTV initiative will have a beneficial impact on theft from shops in the areas they cover.
	Theft from shops is one important element of crime problems that affect the business community, and crimes against business contribute significantly to the crime problems which face society. That is why my right honourable friend the Minister of State for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety launched a consultation process in December 2002 to seek the views of all business organisations, including those operating in the retail sector, on the best means of creating and maintaining effective partnerships to reduce the opportunities for crime against business and to enhance the contribution that business can make to crime reduction overall. A dedicated team is also being set up within the Home Office specifically to act as a focus for efforts to tackle business-related crime.

Prisoners: Training for Employment on Release

Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will appoint an operational manager to oversee training for employment on release for prisoners aged 18 to 21 following the appointment of a similar manager for prisoners aged 15 to 18.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Prison Service has appointed heads of learning and skills in young offender institutions (YOI) holding juvenile prisoners with funding from the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. The heads are responsible for implementing the board's national specification for learning and skills and for planning and managing learning and skills provision for juveniles held in YOIs.
	We are increasing investment in prison education and training, raising core funding to £85 million in 2003–04, £110 million in 2004–05 and £125 million in 2005–06. Prisoners aged 18 to 21 are an early priority for this additional investment which aims to deliver a programme of learning from their induction through to their resettlement. We are currently considering the potential for extending heads of learning and skills posts across the prison estate.
	The Government are also investing an additional £14.5 million a year from April 2003 in the Prison Service Custody to Work initiative to increase the number of prisoners getting jobs or education or training places after release. This will enable establishments, including those holding prisoners aged 18 to 21, to strengthen their pre-release training and partnership work geared to improving employment outcomes for released prisoners.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 Review

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, expected last summer, will be published.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 completed its work last summer. The publication of the review's report, Breaking the Circle, was announced to Parliament on 17 July 2002, and a copy placed in the Library.

Animals in Scientific Procedures

Lord Carter: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to publish the government response to the report of the House of Lords Select Committee on animals in scientific procedures.

Lord Filkin: The Government have today published their reply to the report of the House of Lords Select Committee on animals in scientific procedures published on 24 July 2002. Copies of the Government's response (Cm 5729) have been placed in the Library.
	The Government welcome the Select Committee's report, which deals with important and sensitive issues concerning the use of animals in scientific procedures. The Select Committee's report is comprehensive, makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate and provides a credible basis for all concerned to consider where we should be going from here.
	The Government note in particular, and endorse the Select Committee's finding, that animal experiments are currently necessary to develop human and veterinary medicines and to protect humans and the environment. We also welcome the Select Committee's recognition of the progress that has been made since 1987 in reducing the number of animals used in scientific procedures and in establishing a culture of care in establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which is widely regarded as the most rigorous piece of legislation of its type in the world. The Government also accept that more needs to be done and we reconfirm our commitment to the fullest possible application of the 3Rs—the refinement of scientific procedures, the reduction in numbers of animals used and their replacement wherever possible. We also agree that the case put forward by the Select Committee for a United Kingdom centre for the 3Rs focused largely, but not exclusively, on toxicity testing, as a complement to other initiatives in this area, is worth exploring further. At the same time, we remain firmly of the view that the development of the 3Rs must continue to be an integral part of mainstream research programmes and toxicity work and should not be seen as a separate activity.
	The Government also note the Select Committee's view that the United Kingdom should aim to have the best regulation of animal procedures, properly enforced, rather than the tightest regulation. The Government already strive for the most efficient and effective regulation. However, we believe that it is right that the 1986 Act imposes stringent criteria to be satisfied before licence authorities are granted. We further believe that this approach is essential to generate and maintain public confidence in the regulatory system. At the same time, we accept that the administrative burden must be kept to a minimum, without compromising the welfare of the animals used. We will revisit this matter with the research community, with a view to the production of a revised application form/licence that all concerned accept is as simple and short as it can possibly be to meet statutory requirements.
	The Government also share the Select Committee's view that there is a need for more open and better informed debate about the use of animals in scientific procedures. Government departments, industry, the scientific community and funders of such research all have an important role in explaining their legitimate use. We also believe that more good quality information should be made available to the public explaining the scientific work that is done using animals and the reasons for it. Subject to safeguards for personal and confidential information, we are, therefore, proposing to publish summaries of project licences as part of the Home Office publication scheme. However, we are conscious that there remains a significant level of concern in the scientific community about the implications of repealing Section 24 of the 1986 Act, as the Select Committee recommends. We, therefore, intend to consult further with the scientific community before reaching final decisions on its future.

Commission for Racial Equality: Appointment of Chairman

Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any decision has been taken about appointing a successor to Gurbux Singh as chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.

Lord Filkin: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary is pleased to announce that he has appointed today Mr Trevor Philips as the chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality.
	Trevor Philips is currently an elected member of the Greater London Assembly, chair of the Assembly and managing director of Pepper Production. The appointment is for four years initially.
	Trevor Philips was selected after a rigorous and thorough process. He has a clear understanding of the challenges of race equality and how they link to a wider, diversity, community cohesion and regeneration agenda.
	The Home Secretary is confident that he will provide the leadership that the commission needs to play an active role in the race relations agenda, while strengthening and focusing its internal organisation.

World War Debts to US

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much they owe the United States as a result of the First and Second World Wars; when the most recent repayment was made; and what arrangements are being made to clear the debt.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: On First World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave to him on 17 July 2002 (WA 159), 30 July 2002 (WA 161) and 25 October 2002 (WA 103–04).
	On Second World War debt due to the United States Government, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 27 May 2002 (WA 127).
	Table B19 in the Supplementary Statements to the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts for 2001–02, presented to Parliament on 19 December 2002, provides the latest published data on the outstanding Second World War debt to the United States Government (HC 113, Session 2002–03).
	A further repayment of principal amounting to $66,381,002.61 was made at the end of December 2002 under the terms of the 1945 Agreement.

Building and Roofing Industry: Insurance

Baroness Maddock: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with (a) the insurance industry; and (b) the building and roofing industry, regarding increased insurance premiums in the building and roofing industry.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Discussions have taken place at official level with representatives of both the insurance industry and the construction industries including the roofing sector about increased insurance premiums.
	A study is being undertaken by the department to establish the extent and nature of the difficulties contractors face in obtaining a range of different types of insurance; to obtain a clearer understanding of the reasons for the problems; and how the industry could better represent its approach to risk assessment, management and control to the insurance industry.
	My honourable friend the Minister for Construction met with the noble Lord, Lord Pendry, and a delegation from the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) in the summer of 2002 to discuss rising insurance premiums and the impact on the demolition industry. The Government are keen to have the views of all affected industries, including building, construction and roofing, on the review of the Employer's Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) scheme and all written contributions should be sent to: ELCI REVIEW TEAM, Department for Work and Pensions,
	The Adelphi Level 2, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT or by e-mail to bob.elam@dwp.gsi.gov.uk.

Small Arms and Light Weapons: Export Control

Baroness Golding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the purpose of the Conference on Strengthening the Export Control on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: HMG hosted a successful meeting on strengthening export controls on small arms and light weapons at Lancaster House on 14 and 15 January. Over 50 nations and representatives of international organisations and NGOs attended. My right honourable friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development addressed the delegates.
	The meeting was an initiative of the Government's Global Conflict Prevention Pool. The Government's objective was to build on and develop consensus between small arms exporting nations, whether producers or stock-holders, on the need for effective export controls and controls on arms brokers. These were sensitive issues that the Government considered would benefit from further work following the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects in 2001.
	Recognising the central role for the UN, the meeting discussed ways of taking forward work on international agreement to control the activities of arms brokers. There was also general agreement on the need for effective export controls on small arms.
	The UK will report the outcome of the meeting to the United Nations biennial review meeting in July 2003 and follow up on the common ground established at Lancaster House.
	The meeting demonstrates the strength of the international consensus to implement more effective controls on small arms exports and brokers. All who attended saw the meeting as a useful initiative to take forward key elements in the international effort to control the spread of small arms, a major factor in instability and conflict, particularly in Africa and in human rights abuses and crime world-wide.

North Sea Fishing

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether in the course of deliberations in, and decisions made by, the Fisheries Council of the European Union, or proposals made by its commission, for conserving fish stocks in the Community area of the North Sea, account was taken of parallel proposals and decisions made by the governments of Norway and Iceland, and other nations concerned with similar problems; and, if so, to what extent any of their proposals were adopted or rejected by the European Commission or Council, respectively, and for what reasons.

Lord Whitty: The annual fisheries agreement between the EU and Iceland for 2003, which was concluded before the December Fisheries Council, does not involve fishing in the North Sea. The decisions taken by the EU Council of Ministers took account of negotiations with Norway, with whom certain fish stocks are jointly managed in the North Sea.

Rural Transport Partnership Projects

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What investigations have been carried out to encourage rural transport partnership projects to develop visitor use of public transport.

Lord Whitty: Defra, through the Countryside Agency, has promoted the use of rural transport partnership funding to help develop the public transport options available to visitors in rural areas. The Countryside Agency has produced a leaflet The rural transport partnership for tourists and visitors to promote the use of rural transport partnership funding for visitor-related projects. Since 2001, these initiatives have resulted in 68 rural transport partnership schemes aimed at visitor access to the countryside encouraging visitor use of public transport.
	The Countryside Agency also works through Transport for Leisure to provide the Sustainable Visitor Transport Advisory Service. This has helped develop a further 10 projects developing visitor use of public transport.

Horticultural Research International

Lord Christopher: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will report progress of the public consultation exercise on the quinquennial review of Horticulture Research International.

Lord Whitty: We are grateful to the quinquennial review team for their detailed and incisive report published on 23 September on which we have now consulted widely. The review team has considered the responses to the public consultation exercise which concluded on 18 November and produced an addendum to its report which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	We understand the importance of reaching early conclusions from the viewpoint of HRI's staff, its customers and other stakeholders. This interim announcement, pending further detailed study and negotiations, sets out our intentions.
	The Government broadly accept the general tenor of the review team's analysis and recommendations. There is a clear need for skilled and strategic horticultural science to underpin our policies and industry needs. HRI is a substantial asset of horticultural science excellence. In its present form, however, HRI is not viable and needs to be rationalised.
	Defra will now enter into detailed discussions with HRI and other parties, in particular the University of Warwick and the East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research, to establish whether the scenarios recommended by the review team are achievable and affordable and whether any further government investment is necessary.
	We hope to reach detailed decisions in principle about the future of HRI by the end of March 2003. Matters for consideration will include the remit and research capacity of the successor arrangements; ownership of land and buildings; staffing and pension matters; and income sources. Subject to satisfactory negotiations, the plan would be to put in place the new arrangements for HRI's future by 1 April 2004.
	In the meantime, HRI will continue as currently constituted. A programme of research is in place from Defra, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and other funders. We shall take steps to ensure that any transfer to successor organisations occurs as quickly and as seamlessly as possible in a way which enables HRI to meet all of its commitments.

Passive Smoking: Local Authority Guidance

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance has been given to local authorities regarding the enforcement obligations of environmental health officers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in relation to risks arising from passive smoking in the workplace since publication of the advice of the Government's Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health in March 1998.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Written advice was given in 1998 to local authorities (LAs) by the Health and Safety Executive/Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Committee (HELA), in Local Authority Circular (LAC) 91/1. The advice is available on the HSE website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/91-1.htm).
	In addition, there is a HSE leaflet Passive Smoking at Work (IND(G)63(L) rev 1), which was most recently issued to local authorities in May 2000.
	Both of these were originally produced and issued prior to the SCOTH report in 1998.

Pensions Commission

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will set out the terms of reference of the commission under Mr Adair Turner announced in the Pensions Green Paper; and
	Whether there will be an independent appointments process for members of the Turner Commission on Pensions to ensure that they are genuinely independent; and whether they will be appointed in accordance with the Nolan principles; and
	Whether they intend the Turner commission to include representatives of all three main political parties; and
	How often and when they expect the Turner commission to report; and how long members will serve in the first instance.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The Green Paper Simplicity, security and choice: working and saving for retirement (Cm 5677) sets out a number of proposals that are designed to make the voluntary system of pensions provision in the UK work effectively. It is important that progress is closely and independently monitored so that we can be sure that employers and individuals are rising to the challenge. We will need good information so that we can assess if sufficient progress is being made and whether the Government need to take action. That is why an independent commission has been established.
	The terms of reference for the commission, as set out in the Green Paper, are:
	To keep under review the regime for UK private pensions and long-term savings, taking into account the proposals in the Green Paper, assessing the information needed to monitor progress and looking in particular at current and projected trends in:
	the level of occupational pension provision:
	trends in employer and employee contributions;
	trends in coverage of occupational pensions;
	the level of personal pension savings, including:
	take up of stakeholder and personal pensions:
	contributions to stakeholder and personal pensions; and the level of other saving;
	financial assets, for example Individual Savings Accounts, housing, businesses, savings, and other assets of partners.
	On the basis of this assessment of how effectively the current voluntarist approach is developing over time, to make recommendations to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on whether there is a case for moving beyond the current voluntarist approach.
	Adair Turner has been appointed as chair of the commission. The other two members are Jeannie Drake and Professor John Hills.
	Adair Turner is currently vice-chairman of Merrill Lynch Holdings Ltd, a director of United Business Media plc and chair of the Low Pay Commission. Jeannie Drake is the deputy general secretary for the Communications Workers Union and is also a commissioner of the Equal Opportunities Commission. Professor John Hills is director of the Economic and Social Research Council Research Centre for Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics.
	The commission is being established as an ad-hoc advisory group and a formal appointments process is therefore not necessary. However, the members of the commission have the high calibre expertise and breadth of experience which are vital to its independent role.
	We are in the process of finalising arrangements in consultation with the members of the commission and will announce further details, including the timescale on which the commission will report, in due course.

Infectious Diseases: Welsh Strategy

Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the Welsh strategy for controlling infectious diseases differs from that set out in Getting ahead of the curve.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Getting ahead of the curve: A strategy for combating infectious diseases (including other aspects of health protection) was published by the Chief Medical Officer in January 2002 and makes proposals for health protection in England. A Framework for the Control of Communicable Disease in Wales was published by the National Assembly for Wales in June 2001 and makes proposals for action in Wales. Copies of both documents have been placed in the Library.

NHS Revenue Resource Allocation

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the advice given to them by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation on the allocation formula for National Health Service resources.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The formula used to allocate National Health Service revenue resources has been reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA).
	The work to update the need element of the formula was carried out by a team of researchers led by the University of Glasgow and the Information and Statistics Division, Common Services Agency, NHS Scotland. They have published their report. It can be found at http://www.nhsis.co.uk/isd/isd@services/infoCconsult@AREAReport.htm
	ACRA fully endorsed the team's report. It recommended adopting a new method for constructing the age cost curve and new need indices, including unmet need variables.

Anthrax Vaccine

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 12 December (WA57-58), whether they can now state whether the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research at Porton Down is content that combining the anthrax vaccine with other vaccines and protective measures could not involve harmful long-term effects.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, a special health authority, which reports to the Department of Health, manufactures anthrax vaccine. The vaccine is licensed. The vaccine licence holder is the Secretary of State for Health.
	The product licence summary of characteristics states that the vaccine should be used alone. This information is included in the product summary provided to doctors with the vaccine. The patient information leaflet also asks patients to inform their doctor if they are taking any other medicines.

Smoking-related Diseases

Lord Janner of Braunstone: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many men and how many women have (a) been treated for and (b) died from disease caused by active smoking in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and
	How many men and how many women have (a) been treated for and (b) died from disease caused by passive smoking in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Information is not routinely collected on the number of men and women who have been treated for diseases caused by active or passive smoking.
	It is estimated that smoking causes 120,000 deaths in the UK each year. (Source: The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995, Health Education Authority). Comparable figures are not available for other years.
	The Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH) in its 1998 report concluded that, "exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is a cause of lung cancer and, in those with long term exposure, the increased risk is in the order of 20-30 per cent". The committee repeated the explanation of this risk set out in the Fourth Report of the Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health, ie, "a 20-30 per cent increased risk in exposed non-smokers would be a rate of 12-13 per 100,000 per year. Thus we would expect an additional two to three lung cancer cases a year per 100,000 non-smokers regularly exposed to ETS. The numbers of people so exposed are not known precisely but an estimate would suggest about several hundred extra lung cancer deaths a year are caused by exposure to passive smoking.

vCJD

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether irradiation can be helpful in decontaminating surgical instruments in cases in which there may be a risk of the transmission of vCJD and other blood-borne viruses.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Sterilization by ionizing radiation is an industrial process and is particularly suited to the sterilization of large batches of similar products. Irradiation can cause serious physical deterioration of materials, particularly those subjected to a previous sterilization process. Advice received from the Microbiological Advisory Committee is that, because of issues around the validation of the process and the routine monitoring required for small batches of product, as well as the effect of radiation on the materials concerned, irradiation is not suited to health service use.

Irish Language Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What funds, in addition to the annual vote of the agency, are available to the Irish Language Agency.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The agencies of the North/South Language Body may retain any income generated, subject to the approval of the departments and the departments of finance. Such income would be used to defray the cost of running the agencies. In the case of the Irish Language Agency, such income includes the commission generated from the sale of books through Aisinteacht Dailiuchan Leabhar and income from the sale of educational and other publications through An Gum. The agencies may also avail themselves of other opportunities to generate funding, inter alia, from European Union sources. Neither agency has generated additional funds from these sources.

Ulster-Scots Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 11 December (WA37) concerning appointments to the Irish Agency, whether the Ulster-Scots Agency asked the appropriate departments to process four-and-a-half posts in July; and why the Ulster-Scots Agency was not afforded the same treatment in terms of access to the North/South Ministerial Council as the two posts for the Irish Agency.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: In July 2002 the Ulster-Scots Agency advised the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure that it wished the Business Development Service (BDS) to develop an organisational structure involving initially a review of four core administrative posts. BDS, on 2 October, recommended a structure involving four-and-a-half core administrative posts.
	The necessary departmental approvals for these posts were not obtained in time for the matter to be considered at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting on 9 October 2002.
	For the reasons explained in my Answer of 11 December 2002 (WA37), the timing of departmental approvals enabled the two posts for the Irish Language Agency to be considered at the North/South Ministerial Council meeting on 9 October 2002. NSMC approval of the posts in the Ulster-Scots Agency would have been sought at that meeting had the matter then been sufficiently far advanced.

Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9 December (WA 2) concerning the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Linguistic Diversity Branch, whether the branch does not contain officials with expertise in the Irish language and in Ulster-Scots language and culture; and, if not, why not.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: I refer the noble Lord to my previous Answers on 6 November (WA 123) and 9 December 2002 (WA 2).

Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a consultant from the Community Relations Council has in the past two years been employed by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to examine the area of cultural traditions; if so, what was the criterion used for appointment; who interviewed the candidates; what was the job specification; whether there have been any reports; when the work will be completed and what was the cost.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has not employed a consultant from the Community Relations Council to examine the area of cultural traditions. The department in progressing its commitment to Face to Face—a Vision for Arts and Culture in Northern Ireland has however engaged the services of the Community Relations Council from September 2001 to assist in developing a cultural diversity policy framework. The Community Relations Council assigned a consultant with the ability to provide specialist support for DCAL in taking forward Face to Face. To date, no formal reports have been completed. It is the intention of the department however to issue the proposed cultural diversity framework based on this work for consultation in line with Programme for Government. The contract with the Community Relations Council will be terminated with effect from 31 January 2003. The cost of the project to date has been £34,506.

Northern Ireland National Museums and Galleries

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the national museums and galleries of Northern Ireland have a linguistic diversity policy which treats Ulster Scots on an equal footing with Irish, as required in the Belfast Agreement of 1998; and, if not, why and when one will be available.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The national museums and galleries of Northern Ireland have developed a draft linguistic diversity policy which treats Ullans on an equal footing with Irish. The policy continues to have draft status at present because the outgoing board of trustees did not have an opportunity to approve it before the end of its term of office. However, it is hoped that the new board will formally adopt the draft policy in time for it to be fully implemented by autumn 2003.